Sometimes you want to go....

...where no one knows your name.  :)

After all the commotion with Jake quitting his job last week, I was a stressed wreck. Fortunately, we had a planned getaway that we had been preparing for for weeks - a friend of my mother- and father-in-laws owns a furnished three bedroom condo at Rehoboth beach in Delaware, and once a year we get a chance to go there in the off season. So the five of us, my MIL and FIL, Jake's sister, her husband, their three kids, and their 13 year old bonus girl (long story, but hey, she's family now) all stayed in the 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath condo. It did get a little cozy, but we had a load of fun. And because there were so many grownups and so many young teens, we parents got chances to enjoy grownup times out on our own, and we got to have time together as a family without getting on each other's nerves too badly.

But before we left, Tristan had a special milestone -

Yes, my baby finally got his first hair cut!

With a fancy certificate and everything! We got Daniel's hair cut too, and she only charged us for one haircut (we gave her a good tip, though).

Then we headed down to the shore in the newer minivan, because it gets better gas mileage, and brought most of our own food and our own bikes to save on expenses down at the shore.

There was a rainbow behind the bridge, but it didn't show well in the shot

Friday night we got set up at the condo, and the next morning...

and

and

Ahhhh...

Where are your feet, Tristan?

Oh, there they are!

At the boardwalk there was a swanky baby store where I spotted these!

See? Instead of snaps, they use little MAGNETS!

Isn't that clever? The price was a little too high for me - $25 for a little bodysuit - but how brilliant is that? Perfect for those bleary eyed wardrobe changes!


Yesterday we walked to church at the beach. (The condo is within easy walking/biking distance of everything down there, so one of the things I relish is parking the car on Friday and not getting into it again until we head home. )
By early afternoon we were packed up, had said goodbye to the beach, and were headed home.

We did this trip fairly frugally - staying in a free condo with family, bringing most of our own food, and my MIL gave Jake's sister and us each a gift of gas and splurge money. And the kids brought their own cash to spend at the arcades and gift shops, so we didn't end up spending a lot on souvenirs.

The best part according to Catie, was that we let all the 13 year old cousins wander ON THEIR OWN, as long as they were in a group together. Remember the first time you got to split off from the grownups? Yeah.  :)

We're back to reality and its' related stress now (though there is a possibility that Jake MAY be eligible for unemployment - more on that next time), but it was nice to get away, enjoy the beach, and relax for a bit.